Veronica sez: I met Laurie in the Science Fiction Romance Brigade and we’ve shared all kinds of fun times as SFR authors. Pauline B. Jones and I were so pleased that Laurie wanted to ‘play’ with our concept of Pets In Space, and here she is today to share a favorite scene from her story:

Laurie: Choosing an excerpt from StarDog was something that took a lot of thought. What snippet might provide a tempting taste of the tale…yet only hint at what’s in store?

I decided on this passage, which I think gives a glimpse into the heart and mind of my star navigator hero, yet clearly honors the non-spoilery clause.

Excerpt from StarDog:

Taro made his way to the nearest street just off the spaceport exit and glanced down an endless row of brightly-colored vendor tents. Where to start?

He ducked his head into the entrance of the first two pavilions with a questioning, “Exterminator?” The answer on both counts was a brisk shake of a keeper’s head. Somewhere around vendor twelve, he got a lead.

“No exterminator, but you wanna see Dini Kemm. Red and yellow striper. Tiharra Lane. Three streets west.”

Taro plucked a citrus drink tube from the vendor’s laboring chiller, tossing the elderly man five replas. “Many thanks.”

A couple of streetgirls gave him the eye as he reached an intersection and made his way west.

“You wanna give it a go, Tectolie?” the taller of the two women purred as he passed their corner.

Taro gave the woman a crooked smile and a friendly “I’ll pass” wave of his hand. Nav work was a lonely occupation, but he’d never been keen on paying for female companionship by the hour. Besides, Cap Jordan would have his hide if he got waylaid from his mission.

“Pity that,” the second woman teased. “We give a nice discount to pretty nav-boys.”

Taro threw a grin over his shoulder and lengthened his stride. They had his origins and occupation nailed—probably not a surprise considering they worked a spaceport and saw hundreds of crewmen daily. His Tectolian subspecies had a penchant for navigating the stars, and women in their line of work could probably zero in on a lonely crewie in a nanosecond. It’d been a long time since he and Lyra had called it quits, and he needed to put some quick distance between himself and the twin sirens before he got all weak-minded and hard-bodied.

Tucking those thoughts away, Taro paused as he hit the intersection with Tiharra Lane and glanced in both directions, looking for a red and yellow tent. It wasn’t easy to pick out in the colorful riot of chevroned, crested, and flowered vendor stalls, but his gaze soon settled on a larger pavilion with broad stripes in the correct colors half a square to his right. He nodded to himself and headed in that direction.

The tent was sheltered from the Carduwan sun by a graceful, long-limbed Tiharra Angel Willow, probably the very tree that gave the street its name. When Taro was just a few strides away, the vendor appeared in the entrance, reaching up to unroll the tent’s flap. She was tall, trim, and her shining black-chestnut hair caught the sunlight like a Purmian oil ruby.

“Hang on,” Taro called out. “I was hoping to do some business.”

She turned to him with a soft smile, and his breath locked in his throat when he was met by intelligent, aquamarine eyes.

“You said the magic words.” She laughed. “I’ll extend my hours today, just for you.” She gave him a friendly wink and pushed the tent flap back into its keep.

Blurb for StarDog:

Navigator Taro Shall has a mission no one wants – find a way to eradicate snakes on a starship. He never expects to find the answer to his problem in a charming street vendor named Adini. His already unusual mission becomes more complicated when he suddenly acquires an adorable StarDog that soon sweeps him and Adini into the maw of a brewing insurrection.

Blurb for Pets In Space:

Even an alien needs a pet…

Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?

New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Best selling authors have eight original, never-released stories and one expanded story giving readers nine amazing adventures that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!

10% of profits from the first month go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

Buy Links:

iBooks    Amazon    ARe     GooglePlay     Kobo   Barnes & Noble

Author Bio

Laurie A. Green is a three-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, an award-winning author, and a science fiction romance enthusiast who founded the SFR Brigade community of writers, which is now nearly 900 members strong.

She confesses to being an Andromeda Galaxy groupie and would someday love to own a vacation home on Mars or Titan. She’s enthused to be a part of this wonderful anthology mash-up of two of her favorite things–pets and space.

Her family includes her husband, David, four dogs, three cats and several horses, all who reside on a ranch in beautiful New Mexico. A former military budget director and reserve state trooper, she now spends her time writing, networking, researching, enjoying the Southwestern lifestyle and, naturally, stargazing and daydreaming about other worlds.

Website:          http://www.laurieagreen.com/

Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/Laurie-A-Green-139849829386292/

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/SFRLaurie

Twitter Handle:           @SFRLaurie